Friday 7 October 2005

Marhaban Ya Ramadhan...

It's the fasting month again, and I'm trying very hard to stay focused at work. Obviously I'm not because I'm blogging right now, but I deserve a break after facing the PC for almost 5 hours non-stop, right?

As usual every Ramadhan I plan to attend the Terawih prayers and read the whole Qur'an. I think I'm already on the road to failure on both counts. The first time I attended Terawih at the mosque on the eve of Ramadhan, I was so sleepy that the patterns on the sejadah in front of me were dancing around and taking different shapes altogether. It's even possible that I was asleep with my eyes open! I could barely finish the 20 rakaat prayer that night. The second night I skipped due to a headache, and last night I only did 8 and waited for my family to complete the full set. And I haven't even started the Qur'an yet - my youngest sister has already read 4 juzuk!

The good thing about the fasting month is that we're allowed to leave the office by 4 pm. Of course, we're encouraged come in early and work through lunch, but who really checks? Besides, I still have last month's hours to make up for, the days when I sauntered in at 8.45 and still had the gall to leave at 5 pm sharp. Since Ramadhan started I've managed to make it here by 7.30 a.m. so that should more or less cover up for the lost time.

I really need to go to the shops and run some errands for Mak right now. She's going for Umrah on the 12th - that's a day before my sister's 21st birthday - and she asked me to get a battery for her free-issue Tabung Haji watch and a thermos flask. I bought the flask a couple of days ago at Parkson Grand, then discovered in their in-store magazine that I'm entitled to a free pouch and the flask should've cost about RM 14 less, so I plan to assert my consumer rights and politely demand that they provide me with said items.

Maybe I should buy a small Qur'an at Kinokuniya as well, so I can start reading at the office during my 'lunch' breaks. I've got a lot of catching up to do.

To all Muslim readers, Have a Blessed Ramadhan!

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